Decadent splendour in 17th-century town house in Mallorca
Nearest gay scene is 30 mins drive to Palma
Soller, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
House sleeps 7, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Decadent and spendour say it all really. This is an extraordinary seventeenth-century Mallorcan palace – but ongoing refurbishment means that we are still short on modern comforts. There's just one shower up in the attic plus two loos with washbasins in the rest of the 1000m2 house . That said, the ground floor has now been fixed and there is a modern kitchen, office with WiFi, and garden and pool. Come only if you have a love of historic houses and all their quirks.
The house is situated in the historic centre of the charming town of Sóller on Mallorca's beautiful northern coast; a minute's walk to all the cafes, bars and shops that this idyllic and bustling small town by the sea has to offer. Near Port Sóller and the beach.
The impressive, light-filled entrance hall with it's five-metre high ceilings and original 17th century beams also conserves the original stone paving. Grand stone-arches and a stone stair-way enjoy views from the front of the house through to the lush garden beyond. On this floor there is also a small sitting room. There's also an under-stair cloak-room with toilet and wash-hand basin and an additional storage room.
Elevated off the entrance hall by two small sets of stairs are to be found, on one side, a cosy study with a fireplace and original hydraulic-tile floors. The other stair leads to a spacious dining room which can easily accommodate a table for twelve and maintains the original sand-stone baronial-style fireplace, original hydraulic-tile floors and a large picture-window with built-in window seat providing stunning views over the formal gardens, swimming pool and fountains in the garden beyond.
The semi-fitted, country kitchen is large, spacious and light-filled with a traditional hand-carved, solid stone sink. The walls are clad in hand-painted tiles in a traditional 18th-century-style Mallorcan "tela de lenguas" pattern. The floors are specially quarried large stone flags.
The first-floor or "Planta Noble" with it's five-metre-high ceilings and original 17th century walnut beams is entered through a vestibule at the top of the stairs which leads on to the light-filled 50m2 salon with views to the church of St Bartholomew and the Tramuntana mountians. There are currently three bedrooms and a loo and a small sitting room on this floor.
We have two very affectionate cats.
Sóller is a charming, orange-growing town on Mallorca’s rocky northwestern coast, a bustling place of handsome farmsteads and fine Art Nouveau homes, gushing streams, swaying palms, dry stone walls, and cobbled streets. There’s an eye-catching neo Gothic-fronted church standing alongside the self-important bank, both lording it over the town’s buzzing square, which is neatly bisected by a tram trundling its way down to the port. The backdrop is magnificent, with clouds often billowing down the slopes of the Puig Major mountain and its sister peaks.
Soller is great in summer - with plenty of unspoilt coves nearby for swimming. In autumn and spring the town is a popular base for hikers and cyclists. There are some wonderful walks over the mountains. Historic Palma is just a half hour away by car or bus, or one hour in the early 20th-century train over the mountains.
For more information on Soller and Mallorca see our website:
contemporarybalears.com
Soller is undeniably beautiful but we sometimes yearn for big-city life. Anywhere in a big city would be great. We're both freelance so we are flexible about travelling. And we're happy to host and show you around if dates don't coincide. There's plenty of space.
| Name: | Barry and Pablo (Gay male couple) |
| Listing # | 1562 |
| Member since: | Aug 17 2010 |
| Expiry: | Aug 17 2012 |
| Occupation: |
Writer/journalist
Design and decoration |
| Languages: | English and Spanish |
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| Preferred dates: | Open to offers |
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